Three Weeks Occupying Freedom Plaza

It has been a whirlwind of activity since October 6 when the occupation of Freedom Plaza began. We’ve had rallies and protests, closed down banks and the Chamber of Commerce, protested in the House, Senate and at the White House. We’ve had a series of fantastic speakers from around the United States and the world, including the Egyptian Revolutionaries. The support from the DC community has been incredible – restaurants, churches, unions and individuals have brought us food and warm clothing. The Occupy Movement has struck a chord with Americans fed up with the unfairness of the economy and endless wars.

We began our first day with a rally that featured Cheri Honkala, the founder of the Kensington Welfare Rights League, Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report and Ashley Sanders of the climate change group Peaceful Uprising. Our first evening event featured Chris Hedges, the award winning war correspondent and author as well as political commentator and cartoonist, Ted Rall and Afghan youth. It was a powerful first day.

Protesting Drones and War

On the first day of the 11th year of the Afghanistan War, we began the day with a rally and protest at General Atomics, the maker of drones. That was followed by an anti-war march and rally to the new memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was filled with big displays of anti-war, economic justice and environmental protection messages.

Occupy Washington, DC has focused a lot of our attention on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is the corporate bully of Washington, DC and since our long-term goal is to end corporate rule, we need to take on the lead bully. From our first day we took on the Chamber of Commerce and shut them down. Occupy Freedom Plaza brought our Message to the Chamber of Commerce again 18 days later when we shut them down over the issue of foreclosures. Unbelievably, the Chamber of Commerce urges more foreclosures and does not want the government to do anything to prevent foreclosures. We plan to consistently focus on the Chamber and each time we will focus on one of our 15 core issues, on each the Chamber is on the wrong side protecting the 1%.

Perhaps one of the most interesting groups of visitors who came was the Egyptian Revolutionaries who conducted teach-in at Freedom Plaza. Their message was one of persistence and confidence that we can change the future. They told us that nothing is impossible and that the future we envision for the United States can become a reality.

How Long Will Freedom Plaza Be Occupied?

While the National Park Service has given us a four month permit, this permit does not allow us to “occupy” Freedom Plaza. We are not allowed to camp or sleep on Freedom Plaza nor are we allowed to cook or received food prepared off the Plaza. The Park Police have warned us that we could be removed for occupying Freedom Plaza. They warn us they are getting pressure from “the administration” to enforce the rules against camping. We are preparing for them to remove us in the next week or two.

The last time our permit ran out the General Assembly voted in solidarity to stay on Freedom Plaza. Indeed, we had a dance party when the permit ran out. We do not fear the police coming in fact we danced waiting for the police who never came. When Occupy Wall Street was under threat we put out an urgent action alert calling for solidarity with occupy Wall Street as did many others. Some of our participants went to Wall Street to stand with them. The occupation of Freedom Plaza is receiving great community support and we hope the community will come to the Plaza if we are threatened. But, we will not leave, the work we are doing is too vital to the direction of the nation.

Kevin Zeese is an attorney who has been a political activist since graduating from George Washington Law School in 1980. He works on peace, economic justice, criminal law reform and reviving American democracy. His twitter is @KBZeese. Zeese has used his law degree to work to end the war on drugs, stop the use of the military and National Guard in drug enforcement and allow the medical use of marijuana. He has filed bar complaints against lawyers in the Bush and Obama administrations who used their legal degrees to justify torture, as well as against Justice Clarence Thomas for conflicts of interests. He has also filed complaints against attorneys at Hunton and Williams who worked with the Chamber of Commerce and HB Gary Federal to target him for his work criticizing the Chamber. Zeese serves on the steering committee of the Bradley Manning Support Network. Zeese filed a complaint with the Justice Department against Rupert Murdoch and News Corp for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as with DOJ against Karl Rove’s American Crossroads for violating the non-profit tax laws and the federal election laws.

I'm glad the Occupiers are staying put and that we're spreading globally. What's surprising is that this is three weeks in and some are still convinced that those on the right will come to understand what the protests are about.
http://borderlessnewsandviews.com/2011/10/they-dont-care-about-us/

I'm with y'all in spirit. Were I able, physically, I'd be there in person, front row, helping to lead the charge. Its a shame the movement doesn't get the press it should get. Its owned by "The Corporations".
The Baltimore Occupy group gets negative press, the Baltimore only rarely gives you any press.

Blaming the police is missing the point. These guys should be out arresting bad guys. They are assigned to the protests by someone who has a stake in protecting the 1%ers. They have no more logical reason to be at the occupations than if it were a boy scout camp out. If a crime occurs at any event, it is logical for them to deal with the individual involved, not take it out on the entire group. They sure aren't staking out the local country club because someone might get raped on the golf course.
The mayor should tell the police chief to go about their business and be ready to respond if there is a problem. The occupiers not harming anyone until they are attacked. If the cops would leave them alone, there wouldn't be any more problems than at any other gathering. Sending in a bunch of cops just makes a hostile situation where none existed before they got there._

In case someone in Boston is interested:Joy Global Inc. (Nasdaq: JOYG) announced today that management will participate in the Goldman Sachs 2011 Global Industrials Conference being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston on November 2-3, 2011. Mike Sutherlin, President and Chief Executive Officer and Mike Olsen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Joy Global Inc., along with Ted Doheny, President of the Company’s Joy Mining Machinery business will present at the conference on Wednesday, November 2nd, at 8:45 a.m. EDT.A live audio webcast of the presentation with accompanying slides will be available on the Company’s website at http://investors.joyglobal.com/events.cfm. Listeners should go to the “Events and Presentations” heading in the Investor Relations section of the Joy Global website at least 15 minutes before the presentation to download and install any necessary audio software.

Comment with your Facebook account

Comment with your Disqus account

Top Stories

A prominent Wisconsin democrat was asked if he was aware a candidate he endorsed was a corrupt republican with ties to Scott Walker. Instead of answering, he called the cops on the guy asking him the question, having him arrested and jailed.

Inmate Chase Bellefountaine posted a photo of himself to Facebook, which led to an investigation for a cell phone. However during the investigation, law enforcement received information that Bellefountaine was involved in something more serious than possession of a cell phone.

7 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Support NationofChange

1. You’re keeping independent journalism alive
The corporate owned media has proven that it can’t be trusted. In a media landscape wrought with spin and corruption, NationofChange stands in very scarce company.

2. You’re sticking it to the rich, powerful, and corrupt
When you have money in this country you can get away with damn near anything, and they do. NationofChange isn’t afraid to expose these criminals no matter how powerful they are.

3. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible
NationofChange is a 501(c)3 charity. People tend to assume that many other organizations are (most nonprofits are NOT) but it’s that 501(c)3 status is a bit more rare than you think.